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Greetings to the
the comrades in Manchester
as I was honoured to visit the city
recently and learn about the heroism
of the workers there and the history
of their movement.
The celebrations for May Day take place
two years on since the January Revolution
We expected to see big changes
in the workers' movement
and for workers' demands to be met.
Unfortunately the situation has been
getting worse and worse.
Workers expected a lot from Morsi's regime
Unfortunately since the very beginning
of his time in power, workers' expectations
have been disappointed.
Morsi took off in the presidential plane
on a state visit with 75 businessmen
the same businessmen who used to
accompany Mubarak, while he has followed
the same policies.
The current cabinet's policies are all
completely against workers.
Policies of victimisation and sackings
redundancies and closing of factories
Around 4,000 factories have closed down
recently, and thousands of workers
have been thrown out of work.
Trade union committees are facing
victimisation, sacking and imprisonment.
We saw the Portland Cement workers' strike
in Alexandria broken up by police with dogs.
That is the first time this has
happened since 1989 even during
Mubarak's rule.
After the events of 1989
the workers' movement
over the course of about four years
was on the defensive.
There was a strike in Kafr al-Dawwar
in 1994 but the workers' movement was
smaller than expected
On the second day of the Portland workers' strike
the workers organised demonstrations
and sit-ins in their factories
protesting at the attack on the Portland
workers with police dogs and the
imprisonment of 18 workers
We also saw a wave of repression directed
at the railworkers
The army announced a general state of
mobilisation for the railworkers and
threatened them with military trials
if they didn't comply with conscription
orders. They militarised the railway.
Of course this was a very dangerous thing
We weren't expecting the army to intervene
like that in the strike.
But the workers on the Cairo Underground
took action in solidarity with the
railworkers and against the
militarisation of the railway.
A few hours later the army
withdrew its conscription orders.
This proves that the workers' movement
can defend itself. It isn't broken.
It won't surrender to any regime.
Despite all the terrible things I have
talked about, including the victimisation
of union committees, the jailings
and the accusations against trade unionists
of criminal damage
and destroying the economy
workers have won a great victory by
being able to organise the
Federation of Independent Trade Unions
which has more than 200 unions affiliated
and large numbers of have joined
the workers' movement.
Secondly, workers have been able
to win a court judgement
returning Tanta Flax Company to public
ownership after it was privatised
The court also sentenced Prime Minister
Hisham Qandil to a year in jail
for failing to implement the judgement.
Although maybe we don't see it directly
there is a degree of interaction
within the workers' movement
This year's May Day will begin with
a big wave of strikes
and workers calling for the fulfillment
of their demands
Workers are calling for a minimum and
maximum wage, for the right to form
independent trade unions and
a new law on trade union freedoms
Workers this year won't be letting
Mohamed Morsi sack them and
close down their factories.
For example we saw the important
experience of the Kouta Steel workers
in running the factory themselves.
The government is terrifed of
the workers' ability to run their
own factories.
It is trying by all means possible
to control the workers' movement
But workers are bigger and stronger
than any attacks they face
from the regime.
During the coming period, God willing
we'll see real social justice and a workers revolution